The Sebou and Bouregreg basin connection project in northern Morocco, part of a years-long, multibillion dirham water program, is proving to be a novel management strategy to manage water issues that showcases Morocco’s “skill in civil engineering and infrastructure,” according to an article published in Italian media outlet Expartibus on Wednesday.
This megaproject aims to divert surplus water from the Sebou basin, that would otherwise flow into the Atlantic Ocean, to the Bouregreg basin near Rabat to ensure an adequate supply of drinking water to the highly populated Rabat-Casablanca area.
This new “river highway,” expected to cost roughly 6 Bln MAD, will pump water between the two basins at a beginning flow rate of 3 cubic meters per second, gradually increasing this flow to 15 cubic meters per second.
The system will require 67 kilometers of 3.2-meter steel canals, two pumping stations with a flow rate of 15 cubic meters per second, and a basin that transports water to the reservoir at the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdullah dam.
This program is a significant part of King Mohammed VI’s ongoing efforts to optimize the use of water resources and address current and future water challenges due to drought and climate change.
Slated to be in service in October, according to the Expartibus article, this important water structure is being built by a coalition of Moroccan enterprises using local knowledge. The initiative will demonstrate Moroccan enterprise’s dynamism and maturity, leading to new worldwide opportunities.
The Sebou and Bouregreg basins are already linked by a water recovery network centered at the Oued Sebou dam.